PNP says Vaz must explain US visa waiver

The Peoples National Party (PNP) is demanding that government minister Daryl Vaz make a "full and transparent" disclosure of the circumstances relating to the waiver on his one-year US visitor's visa.

"If he refuses to do so, he should either resign or be removed from the Cabinet," said PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell.

Yesterday, the US reinstated Vaz's visa with a rare annotation: 212(SMALL D) (3) (A) WAIVER of 212 (A) (2C) (1).

READ: Vaz gets back US visitor's visa with rare waiver

Under US immigration law, 212 (A) (2C) (1) speaks to controlled substance traffickers.

It refers to a visitor who the consular officer or the US attorney general knows or has reason to believe is or has been an illicit trafficker in any controlled substance or in any listed chemical or is or has been a knowing aider, abettor, assister, conspirator, or colluder with others in the illicit trafficking in any such controlled or listed substance or chemical, or endeavoured to do so.

The PNP says as a sitting member of the Cabinet the need for this waiver raises immediate concerns which must be addressed.

"While we understand that the visa revocation under this section of the US immigration laws does not rise to the standard of proven guilt in wrongdoing, Mr Vaz must clarify for the people of Jamaica what circumstances have given reason to... the need for this specific waiver," said Campbell.

Vaz yesterday declined to comment on the waiver.

However, he had previously denied any wrongdoing.

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